Produced by NorthSouth Productions, Impractical Jokers premiered on truTV on December 15, 2011, starring the members of The Tenderloins: James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Sal Vulcano, and formerly Joe Gatto.

In March 2024, the series was relocated to TBS, who originally simulcast the tenth season, due to a programing network overhaul at truTV.

[8][9] Each episode begins with a satirical content warning for viewers: "Warning: The following program contains scenes of graphic stupidity among lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other" ("four lifelong friends" in seasons 1 through the first half of season 9, before Gatto leaves the show).

The show's comedic themes range from witty dialogue to slapstick routines, with the reactions of both the jokers and strangers serving as punchlines.

Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano are four friends and former classmates from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, New York.

Gatto, Murray and Vulcano were original members of the live improv and sketch comedy troupe the Tenderloins in 1999.

TruTV announced Impractical Jokers, originally slated to be named Mission: Uncomfortable, on April 12, 2011, eight months before the show's debut.

At the time that they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development for NorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception.

[16] Subsequently, Paste reported that TruTV and HBO Max had removed "several episodes featuring Gatto in compromising situations" from their platforms.

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times stated that "the gag pays off twice: once in the reaction of the unsuspecting passer-by, once in the discomfort of the fellow doing the asking".

[40] Dean Robbins of The Daily Page echoed this sentiment, stating that "the friends are jovial rather than Jackass-obnoxious, even rejecting some dares as too offensive".

[42] The review of the show by Variety's Brian Lowry was less positive, ending with this statement: "Nobody will ever confuse Impractical Jokers with high art, certainly, but as low-brow, micro-cost comedy in the context of truTV's programming resources, it's actually quite practical—and occasionally funny".

The first episode of Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes aired on July 14, 2016, following the mid-season British special.

[47][48] Impractical Jokers: After Party is an aftershow hosted by Joey Fatone, in which the Jokers and surprise guests go through a deep dive of challenges, special play-by-play punishment analysis from the latest episode, and bonus content from the latest episode or the whole show.

The spin-off was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States that prevented Impractical Jokers episodes from being produced.

[50][51] On March 7, 2018, truTV announced that Impractical Jokers was renewed for an eighth season and a feature-length film to begin development in spring 2018, directed by Chris Henchy and produced by Funny or Die.

[56][57] The Official Impractical Jokers Podcast started in 2017, hosted by producers Casey Jost and James McCarthy.